BJP takes dig at Kejriwal over his Nobel Prize claim; AAP says focus on work instead of 'name-calling'

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal's assertion that he should get a Nobel Prize for governance is "laughable", Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said on Wednesday.

Taking a dig at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Sachdeva said he would get the award if there were categories for "incompetence" and "corruption".

The AAP hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying it should focus on governance in Delhi instead of name-calling.

"Virendra Sachdeva is in the government now. It is time to govern, not just talk. Opposition days are over -- now you have to deliver. Delhi is waiting for real work, not distractions or name-calling," Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a statement.

Speaking at the release of the Punjabi edition of a book, titled "Kejriwal Model", in Chandigarh on Tuesday, the AAP supremo elaborated on the governance model adopted by the previous government in Delhi, led by his party.

Referring to challenges faced by the AAP government in the national capital, Kejriwal said, "Despite being stopped from working, we performed. I should get a Nobel Prize for governance and administration for doing so much despite there being a lieutenant governor and various difficulties." Sachdeva took a dig at Kejriwal, saying he would have surely received a Nobel Prize if there were categories for "incompetence, anarchy and corruption".

Several scams, including the construction of the "sheesh mahal", took place during Keriwal's rule in Delhi, he alleged. The BJP had accused Kejriwal of spending crores of rupees to renovate and refurbish the chief minister's residence in Delhi, calling it the "sheesh mahal".

"Kejriwal demanding a Nobel Prize for himself is laughable. The people of Delhi are stunned to hear about his desire for a Nobel Prize," Sachdeva said.

Kejriwal, who served as the Delhi chief minister from 2015 till September 2024, said at the book release that his model can only run on honesty.

"If a government is corrupt, if its ministers are looting, this model will collapse," he said, adding that the AAP has proven this in Punjab as well.

"Previous governments had claimed that the treasury was empty. But we fixed schools and hospitals, and gave free electricity, because we curbed corruption and saved public money," the AAP national convenor said.

He criticised the BJP government in Delhi, alleging that after the AAP left office, services have "collapsed" in the national capital.

Sachdeva said the people of Delhi have not forgotten the "scams" related to panic buttons in public transport buses, pension for women, classroom construction and liquor, among others.